FREQ CHANGE LATE ACCOUNT LOST CONTACT WITH MCN APCH CTLR.

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DSNDING FROM CRUISE ON THE TRANSITION (COLLIER) OF SINCA ARR INTO ATL. I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT MCN APCH BY ATL CENTER. CONTACT WITH MCN WAS ESTABLISHED AT 10000' AND WE WERE CLRED TO 8000' RIGHT TURN 260 DEGS (?) TO JOIN THE 128 DEG R ATL. CLRNC WAS READ BACK. FOLLOWING THIS RADIO XMISSION THE FLT CREW COULD CLEARLY HEAR MCN APCH TALKING TO OTHER ACFT. THE CTLR SOUNDED BUSY BUT NOT UNUSUALLY SO. SOMETIME AFTER INITIAL CONTACT THE MCN CTLR ASKED FOR A SHORT COUNT. FLT CREW COMPLIED AND COULD CONTINUE TO HEAR MCN RECEIVE AND XMIT. CONVERSATION BTWN FLT CREW MEMBERS WAS AT A MINIMUM AT THIS TIME; WITH VERY LITTLE CONVERSATION. AT ABOUT 25 DME FROM ATL I BEGAN TO GET NERVOUS; WE HAD NOT BEEN HANDED OFF TO ATL APCH. AT ABOUT 20 DME WE COULD HEAR MCN XMIT 'ACR XYZ IF YOU HEAR MCN CONTACT ATL APCH ON 127.9.' THIS INSTRUCTION WAS READBACK AND RADIO CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED WITH ATL APCH WHO THEN GAVE US AN 180 DEG TURN BACK FROM ATL TOWARD MCN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE WERE TURNED BACK TO ATL AND DSND TO 5000'. APCH AND LNDG IN ATL WAS UNEVENTFUL. AFTER LNDG CHIEF PLT INFORMED ME THAT ATL APCH WAS UPSET FOR NOT CALLING ATL APCH SOONER. WE HAD EVIDENTLY HELD UP HIGHER JET TFC GOING INTO ATL. I TALKED TO ATL SUPVR AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION. RADIO FAILURE? I DON'T KNOW. THROUGHOUT THE FLT WE COULD CONSTANTLY HEAR MCN RECEIVING AND XMITTING TO OTHER ACFT. WE CONSTANTLY MONITORED THE RADIO. I DON'T BELIEVE WE MISSED A CALL FROM MCN BECAUSE AS I SAID; COCKPIT CONVERSATION WAS AT A MINIMUM. WORKLOAD WAS AT A MINIMUM.